


Homecoming

by petersnotkingyet



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Family, Foster Care, Gen, Kidnapping, Leo and Grant are biological siblings but people didn't know that, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 05:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5615596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petersnotkingyet/pseuds/petersnotkingyet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he was thirteen, Grant Ward nearly killed his little brother Leo and burned down a house.  When he was fourteen, met John Garrett.  When he was fifteen, his record was sealed.  When he was sixteen, Grant was placed with the Coulsons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homecoming

Grant drummed his hands on the steering wheel anxiously and then stopped out of fear that he'd wake Leo.   _This was stupid,_ he thought desperately, staring at the empty yard.  He'd known that there would be nothing here.  He was the one who burned the house down, and no one wanted to build a house in the middle of nowhere after Grant's family moved.  What was the benefit of taking Leo back to a place he didn't even remember?  Now that Phil and Melinda knew what he'd done, there was no way he'd get to stay with the Coulsons.  All he'd done now was guarantee himself a place in juvie instead of foster care.

 _You're sixteen, and you kidnapped a five year old,_ a nagging voice in his head whispered. _They'll try you as an adult.  You're going to prison._

It had been easy too.  Grant and Trip were in charge of Jemma and Leo when John called to tell Grant he was about to be found out.  All Grant had to do was tell Leo they were going somewhere and get him out the door without Trip noticing.  

Movement in the backseat caught his eye.  Leo was awake, knuckling sleep from his eyes and looking around.  "Where's the house?" he asked.  "There was a house when we lived here."

"You- you remember?" Grant said.  Leo nodded, still expecting an answer.  "The house burned down.  I did it."

"Oh," Leo said, frowning.  "Because you hated it?"

"I guess," Grant said.  "I'm not really sure."

"You should probably be sure before you... before..."

"Before I committed arson?"

"Yeah, that's it," Leo said.  "I need to pee."

"Just get out of the truck and go on the ground," Grant said.  "We're the only one's around."

"Okay," Leo said, undoing his seat belt and clamoring out the door.  Once the five year old was done peeing, Grant got out too.

"Everybody is probably pretty worried, aren't they?" Grant said, wondering how much Leo remembered.  The five year old nodded.  "Do you want to take a walk?"

Leo nodded again, and Grant led the way.  They were quiet for the most part, but occasionally Grant would describe how something used to look or Leo would mention a game they used to play.  His memory was better than expected, but Grant knew he shouldn't have been so surprised.  Even as a toddler, Leo was incredibly intelligent.  Grant couldn't help but to wonder how much of that he had destroyed.

"I want to see..." Leo fumbled for the word, twisting his hands like he could pluck it out of the air.  "The water place.  The place where you did it."

"The well?" Grant said, and Leo nodded.  "Why would you want to go there?"

"I'll find it myself if you don't show me," Leo said insistently.  Grant didn't argue.  He started walking, going slow enough for Leo to keep up.

"This is it," Grant said when the two boys reached the well.  Leo stood on his tiptoes and tried to peer down, but it had been boarded over.  He turned to Grant, and the older boy already knew what he wanted.  The teenager scoured the ground for a large enough rock, and then set in on the wood.  The boards had been flimsy to begin with, and three years of exposure made it all too easy.  They broke, and the two brother watched as the wood fell and then disappeared from sight.

"This is where you tried to kill me," Leo said, and Grant flinched.

"I don't think I was trying to kill you," he said.  "I think I... I think I was just trying to hurt you."

Leo shook his head.  "You were trying to hurt Mom.  Our old mom.  You knew what would hurt her the most."  Grant didn't respond, his eyes glued to the base of the well.  "Dad's going to find us, you know?  Uncle Clint is a... He's..."

"A police officer?" Grant suggested.  Leo shook his head.

"Not quite," he said.  "But they're going to find us.  They know we were brothers before."

"Have you really known the whole time?" Grant asked, and the five year old nodded.  Grant had lived with the Coulsons for months, and Leo had never given the slightest inclination that he remembered.  Leo was still examining the well, and he didn't even seem afraid that Grant might throw him in again.  "You knew I tried to drown you, and you never told anyone."

Leo was quite for several seconds, and it wasn't until Grant saw his hands moving that he realized he was looking for a word.  "Were you scared?" Grant offered.  "Intimidated maybe?"

Looking a little irritated by the interrupting, Leo made a negating sound.  "What's it called when you think something is real without a good reason?" he asked.

"Faith?"

"I need that as a verb."

"Believing."

The little boy nodded, finally stepping away from the well.  Carefully selecting each word, he said, "I wanted you to stay and get a second chance because I believe in you."  He looked up at Grant, and his face crinkled in confusion.  "Why are you...  Um...  I don't know.  You're eyes are leaking."

A strangled sound escaped Grant's mouth, barely recognizable as a laugh.  "The word is crying," he said.  "Are we still family Leo?"

Leo understood the seriousness of the question in a way most five year olds wouldn't.  He considered it for an appropriate amount of time before saying, "Yeah, I think so."

There were two cars pulling in, both going too fast  One of them had lights flashing, and the other was a familiar black van.  Away from the treeline, the lot was flat, overgrown, and empty.  There was no way Leo and Grant hadn't already been seen.

"Uncle Clint!" Leo called gleefully when he recognized him.  Clint was sprinting towards him, and Phil Coulson was on his heels.  "Daddy!"

Leo ran too, but much slower.  Grant didn't try to stop him.  Coulson dropped to his knees, and Leo collided with him at full speed.  Coulson clung to his son, and Grant could see that he was crying.  "Daddy, are you hurt?" Leo asked.

"No, buddy," Coulson said, wiping his eyes and recomposing himself.  "I was just really scared because I didn't know if you were okay."

"Oh," Leo said.  "I'm okay.  Did you know this is where I broke my head?  Me and Grant used to live here."

Coulson adjusted his grip on the five year old and stood up.  Leo held on and laid his head on his dad's shoulder.  "He's okay?" Clint called, and Coulson nodded.  Clint grabbed Grant by the arm, and the sixteen year old stayed pliant.

"Grant Ward," Clint said gruffly, handcuffs snapping, "you're under arrest for the kidnapping of Leo Coulson."

 


End file.
